Naperville Central takes advantage of Andrew turnovers to score victory

The halftime stats were pretty similar for both teams Friday night when Andrew visited Naperville Central.

Both the Redhawks and Thunderbolts were finding some success running the ball, although Naperville Central gained some yardage through the air — unlike Andrew, which did not complete a first-half pass.

But all things considered, it was a pretty even first 24 minutes. So how, exactly, were the Redhawks able to build a 17-0 lead at halftime?

The answer is turnovers.

The hosts forced two Andrew fumbles in the initial two quarters, recovered them both, and scored two touchdowns off the miscues.

Naperville Central then stayed the course in the second half and despite a few anxious moments, scored a 31-14 Southwest Valley Red victory.

The Thunderbolts got both their touchdowns in the fourth quarter and almost scored another before they were stopped on fourth down.

“Our defense played really good tonight — up until the fourth quarter, that is,” said Naperville Central outside linebacker Paul Peradotti. “In that final quarter we were not playing our 'A' game.”

Peradotti added that getting turnovers is a big focus for his team.

“That’s kind of how we win football games,” he said.

Senior Gavin Wade, a safety, started the turnover parade for Naperville Central in the first quarter.

“They were running the triple option the whole game,” Wade said, “and (on that play) there was nobody for them to option it to.

“I saw the ball hit the ground and I just ran as fast as I could, and outran (an Andrew player) to get it.”

That led to a 34-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sebastian Hayes to DeShaun Williams, then a Gavin Ellison 31-yard field goal made it 10-0.

Then after another forced fumble in the second quarter, Redhawks running back Aiden Clark scored on a 1-yard plunge to make it 17-0 at the break.

Clark scored again in the third period on a 2-yard run to make it 24-0, but Andrew didn’t give in.

The Thunderbolts got TDs on fourth-quarter runs by Jordan Wandick and Camden Maniatis.

They had a third drive in the final quarter that advanced deep into Naperville Central territory, but a big fourth-down pass breakup by Wade let the Redhawks breathe a little sigh of relief.

Clark, who finished with 121 yards on the ground, scored his third TD late in the game, again from 2 yards out, to account for the final score.

Andrew had one final chance to get closer but a third takeaway, this one an interception by Daniel Nussbaum, let Naperville Central stow away the win.

Williams finished with 5 receptions for 44 yards for the Redhawks, who improved to 3-0, 1-0 in league play.

“We knew we were coming in tonight to face a team that wanted to run the ball down our throats,” said Nussbaum, a senior middle linebacker.

“That’s what we’re strong at — we’re a strong defensive team on the line. It starts with the guys up front who hold double-teams and give the linebackers a chance to be free and get tackles.”